TKR question about snow removal

I think that if anyone gives you a definite answer Kelvin then they are guessing because no two recoveries are the same. I think I did some light digging after about two months but I suspect that's not as strenuous as shoveling snow. Would it be possible to pay someone to do it if you feel you are not ready? It's definitely not worth setting back your recovery if you do too much too soon.

Be prepared for a good few months to recover. I had to go to the hospital last week for an unscheduled appointment, because of the pain and stiffness brought on by my doing too much too soon. In the event, I saw my Consultant. He told me that it can take up to a year to recover fully. You should be able to do stuff before then, but not too much.

my suggestions is not have your surgery doing the winter months, you must be careful because of falling on ice or snow, most take a good 3-8 months to heal and you don't want to compromise your surgery results.

That's like asking how long a piece of string is. Every knee is different, even two on the same person so my answer is 'when it's ready'. My surgeon said to expect to be mobile after 6 weeks, starting to do normal activities around 12 weeks, but a year for a full recovery.

I've had a lot of backache as a result of a change in gait since I've been more mobile after a TKR in January, which has been more of an obstacle than the knee, but everyone is different. It is a very traumatic surgery for the body affecting far more than the knee, plus the surrounding tissues all take time to heal and it's easy to overdo things, as I've found to my cost more than once.

You might want a back up plan in case your knee is not up to shovelling snow when needed. Good luck though. I hope that your surgery goes well and you have a good recovery.

Kevin, Hire it done this year. Geo.

I agree with a previous response that no two recoveries are the same. I went back to work at 8 weeks, but have a job that is primarily in an office at a desk. I will tell you that I went to a conference at 4 months out and had a bit of a set back for a couple of weeks due to overuse. So....some recover quickly, and others not so much. I definately would not be shoveling snow too quickly as that is strenuous even for a hood knee.

I completely agree with all of the above. I had my TKR last December. I was driving in Feb, but stayed in when the weather was bad.

I don't think you will even consider shoveling snow when u are recovering. You'll know that the risks are too high. Definitely hire someone and best of luck to you!!

Get/take all the help you can get. Take it easy on yourself and heal before tackling tasks like this.

Thank you everyone for your response.

I'm going to try to have the surgery in Oct now and see how it goes.

You will probably be out for the winter depending upon your definition of "winter" as northern Minnesota and Virginia have waaaay different amounts of snow...usually. There is no telling how long it will be before you can do any activity. It depends on how much scar tissue your DNA generates, how quickly you get your 0 / +120 ROM back, how far you've gotten with walking (in STEPS, not time or distance), how much of the muscle rebuild you've done, and how healed the knee is at that point in time.

Everyone is really different and the general timelines apply to the whole population of TKR patients, not any one individual. Click my name, Discussions and View All for about 30 discussions on all sorts of topics. You need to prep for this by becoming as strong as possible in your quads, glutes and core. That would give you a better chance on the other side.

Personally, I'd plan on paying the neighborhood kids to shovel you out. Cheap labor, it's a win-win. Set it up in advance so you'll be a priority customer. Then take the snow load off your mind and concentrate on your recovery.

At 5 weeks I felt able to do some light gardening and housework. I could probably mow a lawn. You would have to be so very careful on snow and ice though - so I would think maybe at least 8 weeks?

Recovery can take as long as a year IF there are no complications.

someone already said it- don't risk your recovery by adding this task.

sorry, I had to laugh. wife is correct. don't do it unless you are in bed all day with pain....